Alabama lawmakers are beginning the final two days of the legislative session with some major decisions before them.
Governor Robert Bentley's $800 million prison construction plan, proposed payday lending regulations and a division of oil spill settlement funds are among the top issues that will be decided. Lawmakers return to Montgomery Tuesday.
A proposed split of the oil spill settlement money is facing critical votes this week. The Senate will consider a House-passed plan to use the money to pay state debts and for road projects in coastal Alabama
Lawmakers will try to reconcile House and Senate differences in the prison construction bill. Bentley is seeking to build four new large prisons and close most existing ones.
House members will debate proposed payday lending regulations on Tuesday.
The Bryant Conference Center located on The University of Alabama’s campus will host a two day summit about Early Childhood beginning tomorrow. It is being put on by The Alabama Project LAUNCH. The organization promotes the wellness of young children by looking at their development in areas such physical, social, emotional, behavioral and cognitive development. Amy Crosby is the Alabama Project LAUNCH Young Child Wellness Coordinator. She says the people attending the summit will be able to incorporate what they learned to help out the children of Alabama.
“Its expanding and enhancing work that’s already going on, but also gaining insight for things that we can do or change here in Alabama that would have positive outcomes for children.”
Crosby also says that people who want to come to the summit can attend one or both days of it.
During the month of May, thirty one newborns in Alabama will have a chance to win money for college. It’s part of drawing called College Counts, Alabama's 529 Fund. The program will pick random newborns born in the month of May. The winners will get five hundred and twenty nine dollars towards a new or existing college account. Young Boozer is the State Treasure for the state of Alabama. He says this program will be a jump start to helping families across Alabama start saving for their children’s college education.
“We do that to encourage families to begin investing in what’s next by planning early and often for their children college education. As I like to tell people you can’t start too early and it’s never too late to start.”
Parents will have an opportunity to sign up their newborn until June 15th and the winners will be announced in early July.